Case against Hernandez for July 2012 double murder is building momentum

Posted by Mike Florio on July 23, 2013, 8:50 PM EST

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At a time when a grand jury in Bristol County, Massachusetts likely is closing in on an indictment of former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez for the June 2013 murder of Odin Lloyd, a grand jury in Suffolk County, Massachusetts could likewise indict Hernandez for the July 2012 shooting deaths of Safiro Furtado and Daniel Abreu.

Two unnamed law-enforcement officials tell Maria Cramer of the Boston Globe that prosecutors have begun making the case to a grand jury that Hernandez should be charged with two more counts of murder.

The process involves evidence only from the prosecution, with no defense presented by Hernandez’s lawyers and a low standard of proof. If the grand jury believes probable cause exists to conclude that Hernandez is guilty, the grand jury can issue an indictment.

Still, few prosecutors seek an indictment unless they believe that the higher standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt can be met at trial.

Absent testimony from one or more persons who witnessed Hernandez fire the shots that killed Furtado and Abreu, the case against Hernandez will be based on circumstantial evidence. That doesn’t mean he’ll be acquitted; still, it’s always easier to prove the case when there’s a witness who can credibly say that he or she saw the defendant do what he allegedly did.

The leak comes at a convenient time for prosecutors in Bristol County, creating an unwanted distraction during the last-minute preparations by Hernandez’s legal team for Wednesday’s probable cause hearing in the Odin Lloyd murder case.

He’ll soon have as many murder indictments as Brady has Super Bowl rings!

norcalmafia says:Jul 23, 2013 9:16 PM

Even though this story is a month old I still cant wrap my mind around what a sad story this really is..He had an opportunity to play in the NFL and make millions of dollars but just couldnt let the street life go.. Now you have people dead a life wasted and his child will grow up without a father..Devastating..

This AH thing will only heat up as the trial nears. I think loyal PFT followers would love to see a special link just for AH. It would provide a nice historical account on the reporting and even though it’s football related, it warrants it’s own temporary link. How about it Mike??? The four letter network will report only when people ask and pressure them for a story.

Oh the new curse has arrived for the Pats double murder from a current release/ former player jersey exchange done never win a super bowl for atleast a decade and your sox this just fd that up too sorry you all win loose and guess what atleast you got BOSTON STRONG

Now is this 2 guys he allegedly shot in Mass or are these the 2 murders in Florida? I had no idea he was a suspect in a double homicide in Mass also.

So how many people is he accused of shooting now? Is it 5?

commonsensedude says:Jul 23, 2013 9:49 PM

Since we are getting near the time of the year for the Hall of Fame induction, it’s time to reassess who holds the records for most homicides committed by an NFL player. Ray Carruth tried to match OJ’s record of two and came close. Hernandez looks as though he has a shot (pardon the pun) of obliterating … eh knocking off … I mean wiping out the … well, you get my point.

Aaron Hernandez has the distinction of being the NFL’s first serial killer.

zn0rseman says:Jul 23, 2013 10:28 PM

They couldn’t get a grad jury indictment on George Zimmerman, and they proceeded with charges in spit of the fact that they had absolutely no evidence to support them. So although most prosecutors don’t pursue charges against someone without evidence, they apparently do if there is a political motivation to do so.

My opinion: prosecutors who do that should be disbarred. It would prevent them from brining charges against people who are known yo be obviously innocent… like George Zimmerman.

ialwayswantedtobeabanker says:Jul 23, 2013 10:30 PM

For many reasons, circumstantial evidence is frequently more reliable than direct evidence. That doesn’t mean it’s always perceived to be that way – but that’s the reality.

Humans misrepresent information intentionally (e.g., the woman who wrongly accused the Duke Lacrosse team of rape).

Humans misrepresent information unintentionally (e.g., the bazillions of times people accidentally finger the wrong suspect out of mistake or conscious or unconscious bias – or – the gazillions of times they exonerate the right suspect for the same reasons). Humans make mistakes, their memory fades, factors corrupt the human thought process.

However, circumstantial evidence is about the objectively verifiable facts – and being able to connect the dots to satisfy the burden of proof in a criminal case.

For instance, if you wake up one morning after a night of sleep, and there’s three feet of snow outside where previously there was none – you can safely assume it snowed while you were sleeping. You don’t need another fallible human being to contribute – there’s sufficient information on its face to deduce what went down.

Not to mention the admissibility of hearsay evidence at GJ indictments

detectivejimmymcnulty says:Jul 23, 2013 11:12 PM

I have a bad feeling this dude will get out of these charges. When it all came out, like most people, I thought this was an easy conviction. Now? Not sure if it will be easy but I sure as hell hope he rots in a prison cell with Bubba.

They might have enough evidence to convict in the Odin trial, but …… A big Butt here, unless there is a weapon & an eye witness, there is 0% chance they convict in these old charges! We need to be very careful with our judicial system! As another poster brought up a very valid point! It wasn’t until the NAACP started crying over “race” did they even consider trumping up charges against Zimmerman! They only did that to appease the “colored” community!
It is a scary time, when our government had the power(ie, patriot act) to search, seize, and control our society with nothing more than, “we can and we will” they are slowly trying to disarm us, then the government can take over! I am afraid what will be our country in 15-20 years! When the micro-chips start being injected @ birth all “hell ” will break lose! Literally

blueberrymuffin11 says:Jul 24, 2013 12:27 AM

Question: remember the whole flap about the Hall of Fame photo being removed and the photographer was all upset? The corresponding picture they showed had #85 prancing across the goal line. Every other picture I’ve seen of AH he’s wearing #81. What gives? Did he change his number?

pondbridge says:Jul 24, 2013 5:13 AM

So what is the NFL now doing as a result to discourage the gang life? Note to Goodell: whatever you’re doing, its not enough, and it isn’t working at all.

kokomike says:Jul 24, 2013 6:06 AM

Hernandez had a gun. He stalked an innocent man. A confrontation developed, and Hernandez feared great bodily harm. So, he killed the guy. He’ll probably use the Zimmerman defense. And, sadly, some people will call it justifiable.

cobraiv says:Jul 24, 2013 6:42 AM

Reading about all these NFL players in trouble with the law every is like reading my local newspaper’s Police Beat in the crime section.

vibesid says:Jul 24, 2013 8:03 AM

Hernandez cases are nothing like Zimmerman case. In the Z case he admitted being the shooter. H has never admitted this. They are totally different.

Another thing I’ve noticed is how often the term “circumstantial evidence” is used. This can mean a lot of different things, and some so-called circumstantial evidence can be very, very powerful evidence. For example, if the murder weapon is found in a guy’s car in a guy’s garage, then that is circumstantial evidence, but can play an important role in establishing guilt in a courtroom.

jerrykill4pres says:Jul 24, 2013 8:35 AM

If this loser get’s off, I hope that no NFL team ever takes a chance on him again, and he’s out of money and flat broke by the time he has to pay his defense team. Although, it’s just another one for us tax payers to have to make up for. Maybe we will all get lucky and karma will pay him a visit, and we won’t need to hear about him anymore.

You don’t need to be a professional athlete to squander your life away by murdering people. You could be a McDonalds worker and squander your life away by murdering someone. He’s a bum. Plain and simple. I don’t care that he’s gifted, athletic, made money, scored touchdowns, drove nice cars, yada yada yada… He’s a bum! decided to hurt and kill people, he’s worthless!

To all of you who judge people based solely off of “status”… Here is your example. Take this high profile athlete… Catches touchdown passes from Tom Brady… Makes a few mil a year… Now you have this poor guy working in some dirty, nasty, stinky factory. Making barely minimum wage… But he’s working and supporting his family. Guess what?? Quit judging, because option 2 is the better person, and the one I would rather be associated with than option 1!

njsteeler says:Jul 24, 2013 9:55 AM

How people can defend a grown ass man shooting an unarmed child is amazing to me. Since when did a fight where one person shoots another become cool? The Child Killer, and this case have nothing in common.

njsteeler says:Jul 24, 2013 10:03 AM

And let’s not forget that one of the first Officer’s on the scene wanted to arrest your boy Zimmerman. So please stop the ignorant “colored people” nonsense. People of al colors had a problem with what went down in that case.